Field of the Disclosure
Various features may relate to an integrated device, and more specifically to an integrated device that includes a flexible connector between integrated circuit (IC) packages.
Background
Mobile devices, such as smart phones, tablets, Internet of Things (IoT), etc., require a multitude of components, chipsets, and the like. Typically, these components are provided on a printed circuit board with one or more integrated circuits. Packaging these components together into a product is becoming increasingly challenging, especially in devices that have odd shapes or curved shapes. To accommodate these odd shapes or curved shapes, flexible connectors are used to couple several printed circuit boards that include chips (e.g., dies), together.
FIG. 1 illustrates an integrated device 100 that includes a first integrated circuit (IC) package 102, a second integrated circuit (IC) package 104, and a flexible connector 106. The first integrated circuit (IC) package 102 includes a printed circuit board (PCB) 120 and a first chip 122 (e.g., die, die package). The second integrated circuit (IC) package 104 includes a printed circuit board (PCB) 140 and a second chip 142 (e.g., die, die package).
The first integrated circuit (IC) package 102 is coupled to the second integrated circuit (IC) package 104 through the flexible connector 106. The flexible connector 106 is a printed circuit board (PCB) connector. The flexible connector 106 includes a plurality of wires 160, a first PCB interface 162, a second PCB interface 164, and a cover 166. The cover 166 surrounds the plurality of wires 160. The plurality of wires 160 is coupled to the first PCB interface 162 and the second PCB interface 164. The first PCB interface 162 is coupled to a surface of the first PCB 120. The second PCB interface 164 is coupled to a surface of the second PCB 140.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, the integrated device 100 is comprised of three distinct components, the first integrated circuit (IC) package 102, the second integrated circuit (IC) package 104 and the flexible connector 106. These components are fabricated separately and then assembled to form the integrated device 100. The process of fabricating distinct components and then assembling them is an expensive process and creates a package that can be too large to put in small devices. It is desirable to reduce the size, height and/or spaces of packages, so that these packages are placed in smaller devices. Ideally, such a package will have a better form factor, be cheaper to fabricate, while at the same time meeting the needs of mobile devices, Internet of things (IoT) devices, and/or wearable devices.